Strength to Dream
by ShadowShock
Summary: It is easy to say you have a dream. It is much harder to keep on dreaming, when all the world wants to do is tear it down. She knew that too well. So she waited for the Prince and Knight to appear... Kamen Rider Faiz 555, AU.
1. Prelude

**Author's Note:** No profit or infringement meant, this is purely for entertainment value. What I am hoping to do with this story is work through the Faiz series and try to use the idea threads that I saw throughout the whole series but never got to see them actually executed. I'm assuming that it will be a bit similar to the TV show in the beginning but will quickly take a turn into the AU realm. I will strive to keep the idea of the show and the characters intake. In fact, I'm not really trying to make a whole different Kamen Rider show.

I was hesitant to publish this as a work in progress, but I decided to see what the fandom reaction to it will be. Drop me a review, a note, let me know what you think!  


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_Two years ago..._

"So. This will be our last conversation."

He gazed out the window of the skyscraper, hands clasped behind his back.

"The memory grows heavier in me everyday. I can no longer stand idle and be crushed by it."

"And after all these years you decide to make a one-man stand?" Her voice expressed her amusement and he had to smile at her words. She always did have such a way of defining actions with words that made them seem somewhat ridicules.

"I may be the leader of the largest Orphenoch faction, but even I can't create so sudden a change without rebellion." He paused, studying the small people scurrying in the streets down below. "Besides, what is my alternative offer? Their destruction. I don't think I will find any true Orphenoch willing to help my goal."

"Orphenochs need not vanish from the earth." Her voice pleaded with him to understand this one last time. "They can live on the same earth, together with humans, as equals."

He sighed, years of suppressed guilt pulling his shoulders down. "You know that is even more impossible to make a reality than me convincing Orphenochs that they should not exist. No," he shook his head. "We are monsters. Monsters living under a false face."

He shifted into his true form as he spoke the words. Power filled him and his body grew. Fingers expanded and thickened, clothing gave way to metallic arm guards and chestplate. His shoulders widened with muscles full of power and the weight of his horns, faint even in human form, grew till the large bones curled on the sides of his head. When he looked up at the window it was no longer an elderly man with graying hair that stared back at him. It was a reflection of a two legged monster that bore the resemblance of a mountain goat. No, the reflection was now of a monster standing on two legs that ended in cloven hooves, with the strength to break a human with his bare hands.

He thought that the Americans across the sea had a name for the type of monster he was, but he couldn't remember the strange word. Not that it mattered. This was who, no, what, he truly was. He could no longer deny it, no longer hid behind a kindness that he thought was real. Because what had that kindness brought to the ones he had grown to love? Nothing but pain and death.

"We may look like monsters, but to actually be monsters is our choice alone. There are humans who are truly monsters inside, and they cannot use the excuses of masks. And what of the monsters who live more humanly than the humans themselves?"

He shook his head in disagreement, familiar with her argument. It had truth to it he could sense, and while a part of him yearned to embrace it without doubt he knew he could not. The ugliness of Orphenochs could not be hidden. He turned away from the window to face the rest of the room.

The room was small, the flower pots and vines looking oddly out of place on the seamless metal walls and floor that the room was built out of. No furniture populated the room, but several tubes of wiring ran along the floor, all converging in on the center.

There a six-foot long capsule stood at an angle, supported by the most sophisticated machinery that the Orphenoch empire could create. Wires and tubing dug into the back of the capsule where it rested, cradled against the machinery, but the front of it was unmarred smooth glass. The machinery worked diligently with an audible rise and fall of air, unaware of the life that they supported.

"The power of the Orphenoch is powerful and overwhelming. You of all people should know the draw of it, how easy it is to loose control and let it consume you till nothing else matters. It is our fate to become monsters, one that we cannot stop."

"I fought free," she replied furiously. "I am no longer a slave to my powers. And neither are you. You have broken free, have you not?"

"Maybe, but not entirely," he objected, shaking his massive head. "It still draws me and some days I find it difficult not to lash out and use it. If the King is found I fear I would give in to it all too readily..."

She did not reply right away but the silence was a comfortable one. After the first dozen heated arguments, they had learned to accept the other's differences without harsh feelings arising. It didn't mean that they didn't wish the other would see it their way, but it allowed them to discuss things in perspective.

In the silence the soft hissing sound of falling sand was painfully loud. It was the sound of the hourglass's sand falling, and there was no way to flip it over and reset the time.

He walked over to the capsule and placed a hand on it, spreading his fingers across the smooth glass surface. Though the inner surface was clouded over with a white mist that looked like frost, the glass itself held a warmth to it. He had always thought it was appropriate, for there was little that could muffle the spirit of the one held inside.

"We are dying. Our bodies are breaking down and falling apart, our existence is already slipping away. What difference does it make for me to hurry it along?"

"In this world, nothing lives forever, not even the trees." She spoke gently and without bitterness, but there was no resignation or despair in her voice either. "Rocks are aged by wind and water. Earth is swept away, and water evaporates to become rain. Why should we be any different? It only shows that we are still human."

He shook his head in wonder, amazed that her outlook on life never ceased to surprise him. It certainly should not have belonged to one who stared at Death every minute. For a brief moment he felt a flash of jealousy. Why could he not have the same peace of mind and spirit as she did? But it passed away and he caressed the capsule.

"We are suppose to be better evolutions. Our demise only shows how badly we have failed to reach that goal. Even you thought that once too, old friend."

"Yes," Regret seeped into her words, expressing for her what she could not do physically. "It was why I allowed myself to be placed in suspension. And because of my foolish thoughts of immortality..."

There was a pause, a ghostly sigh of breath that swirled around the room. He looked up at the corkboard standing to the side of the capsule. Like the flowers, it was a splash of color that looked like it didn't belong in the sterile room. On it pictures had been placed at her insistence, so she could look at them when she had the strength. In the pictures were several children, progressively aging the further down the picture line one looked.

"If not for me, they might not have been hurt." Pain laced her words and he turned away from the pictures, memories of a darker night marring the smiling faces. Several of them would never smile again.

"I was the one that convinced you to suspend yourself while I tried to find the cure," His voice was rough, but he was determined to speak the truth even if it was... difficult. "Even though we learned the suspension is only slowing your demise, it was my choice to go ahead with the program. Though I did not expect such... atrocities to happen. But if it had not been for you, I would have never known the truth about myself. And then I would never have met them. Never have met her."

"...you still love them. You still see her as your daughter."

"Yes. And she survived. That is why I must do what I must. It will protect her."

"Then I believe there is nothing I can say to stop you."

He smiled, though it felt odd to do it in his true form. "No, there isn't. We are not living in a fairy tale and there are too many wrongs to right even if there was a Prince... I will make sure that you are well looked after in my absence, though. I will leave instructions with Big Sister to take care of you and obey any of your requests."

"Smart Lady is not the most sympathetic person to my cause." She pointed out, a voice of grumbling beneath her words. "Wouldn't she be more likely to pull the plug?"

He winced at her choice of words, but knew she chose them on purpose. Not only had time changed her view on life, it had also made her more blunt, so much so that she now spoke to him in casual language most of the time.

"She may not be sympathetic to your cause, but she is not one to take initiative and will most likely not suspect anything, as long as what you ask doesn't go against her view."

"Very well, I suppose there is an advantage that can be worked out. I will use Wisdom to speak with her when needed. She will know the words to say."

A ghost of a female human faded into view in between him and the capsule, her blond hair falling down to her waist while her face was a mix of Asian and Western features and almond shaped blue eyes. A second later she faded away and he continued.

"That would probably be for the best. Do be careful. Once I am out of the picture Murakami will most likely step up and take over leadership in my absence."

A gentle laughter filled the room briefly. "You of all people should know that I am not as helpless as I look, old friend."

He chuckled in agreement. "Yes, but I would prefer you not have to extend yourself unless you must."

He turned to go. They had already exchanged their farewells, though they had never been voiced, and he was not one for long goodbyes. At the doorway he paused though, and half turned to look back at the capsule that held the only Orphenoch he could call "friend".

"If I fail... If this Prince of yours does exists... If you ever find him, will you send him to protect her?"

"I promise with all my will."

Strangely, comforted by her words, he left the room. Behind him the lights turned off, allowing the natural light of the setting sun to reflect off the capsule standing alone in the room.

"But I fear that she will not settle for a Prince. No... what she needs is a Knight."


	2. Perchance to Dream

Finally here's the second chapter of the story. I've been trying to work out a way to keep the original story while work in my own angle, and I think I finally succeeded. Let me know what you think though! The woman here and in the previous chapter is a new character, so you won't realize who I'm talking about. Also, in this chapter I tried to answer the question that was always in my mind...

How did Taku lose his bag in the first place?

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The black-haired lady was resting against the building wall when she saw the lone motorbiker pull into the convenience store's parking lot. She recognized the girl when she pulled the helmet off, soft dark hair falling past shoulders and framing chubby cheeks. She knew, from the photos lining the walls, that those same cheeks could make her look incredibly stubborn or utterly adorable, depending on the girl's mood.

Right now though the girl just looked tired, and the sigh she heaved as she placed the helmet against the motorbike's handlebars agreed with the observation. She followed the girl's glance towards the sun to see it sinking down towards the horizon.

Mari – for that was the girl's name – kicked the stand down on her motorbike and swung off. She placed a hand protectively on the bag strapped down on the back, glancing around her. The lady drifted closer to the girl, unsure if Mari could actually see her or not, her focus on the bag.

Yes... it did hold the belt. Even at this distance she could feel the power sleeping inside of it. Perhaps –

She gasped as her vision suddenly tilted before going blank. Two days of non-stop searching with her dreams so far from her physical body was starting to take its toll on her. But no, she could _not_ return back to her capsule just yet! She had finally found the girl; now all she had to do was grab the belt away from her and the Orophenochs should no longer target her. Mari would be safe.

With a force of will born of one with nothing to lose she kept her dream anchored and after a struggle her vision slowly returned to that of the convenience store parking lot. But time had passed and she looked around the suddenly dark lot, lit only by the nearby street lamps and the light spilling out of the bright store. She could make out the form of the bike, parked on the far side of the parking lot. The same dark blue bag was still sitting on top of it.

Hadn't it been closer?

She wavered on her feet, feeling the strain again. She certainly wasn't as strong as she use to be... It didn't matter how strong her will, she could not keep fully dreaming like this. But she wasn't about to give up entirely, for she still had a few options open to her. Few indeed, and none of them she liked, but they would be enough to buy her some time while she recovered her strength. Besides, this wasn't a delicate matter; Daydream shouldn't be able to mess it up.

She let out a sigh and focused her eyes on the bike and the bag. That would be her goal. She took a step forward and as she did so her hair lengthened and curled as it turned red. Her brown eyes widened and their colored drained to a pale gray.

Daydream paused as the rest of her consciousness drew back to the safe cocoon of her capsule to rest her mind and body.

What was she suppose to do? Oh, yes! Get the bag, get the belt. It was _very_ important.

Smiling at her ability to hold on to that objective, she walked across the lot to the parked bike. Coming along side it she paused again as she narrowed her pale eyes at the shape.

Wasn't the bike that he had built supposed to look a little different? This one looked like any regular old Yamaha that could be picked up at the used lot for 200,000 yen, nothing special and –

–no, she couldn't get distracted! The bag, the belt. Very important.

Nodding her head and dismissing the bike out of her mind, she reached out, grabbed the bag straps and pulled it off the bike. She staggered at the sudden weight, for it was hard for Daydream to interact with physical objects and for a moment she was unsure if she would be able to carry it against her body. It wouldn't do to drag it, for then the humans could see it.

She giggled at the image of a group of humans staring slack-jawed at a bag being dragged across the road with, in their eyes, no one pulling it. That would be a sight to see! And then she could make the bag dance and do circles and –

–no, she had to do it quietly! Those were Real Dream's wishes. Bag, belt, hide. Then she could go to sleep and dream some more.

With a grunt she slung the straps over her shoulders and shifted the weight around. It would be a strain but it didn't feel like the bag would be too heavy for her to handle by herself. And with it against her body she could keep it hidden from the prying eyes of humans, as long as there wasn't too many of them.

She started to turn away when a thought drifted to her from Real Dream. Leave a trace, how clever! Why Daydream never thought about stuff like that she couldn't figure out. But that was all right, Daydream didn't mind leaving all the real thinking to Real Dream. That's what Real Dream was for; Daydream was for when Real Dream was too tired and had to sleep.

Reaching up into the back of her hair she made a plucking motion. When she pulled her hand out of her hair she held a long red and black feather in her fingers. Placing it against the frame of the bike, she used her other hand to smooth it against the metal.

The feather seemed to burn at the edges before it disintegrated into smoke. Where it had lain against the bike a faint gray outline could be seen before it too faded away.

Daydream nodded in satisfaction. The outline would be invisible to the human eye and she doubted Mari had enough power in her blood to detect it. But the tracer would allow Real Dream to mentally sense its location so she wouldn't have to search all over for the girl again.

Humming quietly to herself, Daydream turned on her heel and walked away. As she rounded the bend of the block she heard a male voice cry out in shock and anger, but she paid it no mind.

After all, it wasn't like she had taken a boy's bag.

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Review if you have time! Even if its just a few words to let me know you've been reading it, that would be wonderful! I assumed that the bike Taku was riding in the beginning is a Yamaha, but if you know otherwise let me know.


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